Question of the Week: Gun control

Thursday

Dec 20, 2012 at 12:01 AM

After the horrifying shooting that took place in Newtown, Conn., Friday, there has been a nationwide debate over how to prevent tragedies such as this from continuing. Many say that gun control is the answer while others believe laws concerning weapons and firearms should be left alone and unchanged.

BY MARY CAROLINE SHARPETeen correspondent

After the horrifying shooting that took place in Newtown, Conn., Friday, there has been a nationwide debate over how to prevent tragedies such as this from continuing. Many say that gun control is the answer while others believe laws concerning weapons and firearms should be left alone and unchanged.Personally, I think banning the possession and use of guns is taking things a little far, but I do believe that stricter laws should be enforced. I believe there should be regulations on who owns these weapons and where and how they are allowed to use and carry them.I took this issue to the students of Lexington Senior High School and asked, what do you think should be done about gun control? Should citizens be banned from using guns altogether? Should there be stricter laws concerning firearms, or should regulations remain the same? What is your opinion? "When will enough be enough? I assume after Columbine, Virginia Tech, Tucson or the Aurora movie theater shooting, a line would have to be drawn somewhere. Gun control is the answer. … We need to limit the amount of bullets in a magazine for a start. No need for 30 to 40 bullets; I think 10 to 15 is reasonable. Also, bringing back portions of the assault weapons ban would do some good, considering it did bring down the number of shooting massacres from 1994-2004." — Nick Hutton, senior"I wholeheartedly believe that it (gun control) should be more stringent, and there should be more severe consequences for even minor infractions so people know that guns carry a lot of responsibility. Also, acquiring any kind of gun should be a longer process to ensure someone who is mentally unstable isn't in possession of one. Having the ability to end a life so easily should come with far more provisions than it does currently." — Camille Miller, junior"I feel as if there should be a ban on assault weapons; there is no need for them. They cannot be used for hunting, as is the claim; there would be nothing left of the animal. I also feel as if there should be a ban on high-capacity clips. Again, there is no need to be able to fire 80 rounds without having to reload. Most importantly, I feel there should be psychological testing done before a gun can be purchased to prevent someone who is psychotic from obtaining a dangerous weapon." — Kirstyn Brewer, senior"There is simply no excuse for access to military-grade weaponry by the typical American. The debate goes further, citing reasons like mental health status with statistics like 1 in 17 Americans have a mental disorder and only 1 in 3 find proper treatment for it. The truth is that no one, with or without mental disabilities, should have access to these caliber of weapons, including four 9-millimeter handguns and an AR-15 rifle, a weapon commonly used by the military in frontline combat, not on American soil. Ultimately, we as Americans will have to find resolution with a happy (maybe not so happy) medium." — Colin Beamer, senior